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Part I - The Game
A lot of things change after high school Straight-A students becouys ore they were going to join the NFL end up joining the Marines instead People make all kinds of weird decisions once they hit adulthood - like Daniel Peters, for exa freaks to his parties
It was late October, Halloeekend to be exact The night was cold, an icy breeze whipping up flurries of golden leaves down the quiet suburban streets Daniel’s neighborhood was gated, requiring check-in at the gatehouse before we could even drive our car through A list of guests had been left with the guard, and he checked it meticulously as I showed him my ID
“Jessica Martin, have hilanced back at the line of cars that had begun to form behind us Daniel was known for his uests would fill his parents’that hadn’t changed after high school: none of us had given up partying
“And you are…?” the guard glanced past er in my Corolla, my best friend since Freshman year
“Ashley Garcia,” she said, staring down at her phone as she typed “Do you, likeneed ?”
“No, no, you’re alright So are you ladies headed to a Halloween party?” I could feel the guard’s eyes lingering on h theBoth Ashley and I had dressed up as angels - slutty, sexy angels My sheer white bra would’ve shown off s if it wasn’t for the pasties I’d slapped on underneath, and if I happened to bend over ina view of s were small, made of white feathers, clipped to the back of our bras
I was getting really tired of this old perv trying to make small talk I had no doubt he’d already seen our naet us to have a conversation with hilanced back as yet another car pulled into line The truck right behind us was shaking and ruly old beast looked familiar
Then I saw the guy driving, and immediately remembered where I had seen the truck before
“Fucking Manson Reed is behind us!” I blurted, as soon as the guard finally buzzed us through Ashley immediately looked up from her phone, turned, and strained in her seat to look into the truck as we left it behind at the gate
“You have got to be kidding,” she said “Are you sure? I can’t see anything with those headlights”
“I saw him And that’s his same old shitty truck”
“You don’tyou don’t think…” Ashley sat back in her seat, giving me a serious look “You don’t think Daniel invited him, do you?”
“Oh God, hell no,” I winced in disgust “Daniel wouldn’t invite that weirdo Not after what happened”
“Remember, Daniel has been on that whole “acceptance for everyone” kick since he took that Philosophy class,” Ashley said warningly “And it’s not like Manson lives here Why else would he be in this neighborhood?”
I shook my head “No way have Daniel’s invite standards dropped that low Besides, literally everyone froh school is freaked out over Manson Yeah, it’s been a couple years, but no one really forgets the kid who almost stabbed someone”
Ashley folded her ar the old truck further behind us All the houses in Daniel’s neighborhood were ates, shaded by old trees I could hear the music before I even turned the corner onto Daniel’s street Cars lined the sidewalk, but I ed to find a spot just a short walk away
"Sooo, like, not to bring up shaum before she went on "But didn't you and Manson have, like, a thing?"